Bethel Church pastor Bill Johnson said that while many Christians are uncomfortable with the supernatural and hold back from allowing God to miraculously heal the sick through them, the responsibility of every believer is to “take some form of risk to give God a chance to show up and do what only He can do.”
Johnson, pastor of the megachurch in Redding, California, that also runs a school of supernatural ministry, participated in Thursday’s session of the Q 2020 Virtual Summit, an annual event that equips Christian leaders to thoughtfully engage culture from a Christian worldview.
During the session, the pastor was asked by host Gabe Lyons to address “why we should lean into the supernatural more” and “trust God to do things that we might not ever understand in the supernatural realm.”
“If everything about [God] is something I understand, then I’ve reduced Him to my size,” Johnson replied. “I’m required to live with mystery. And if I’m a follower of Jesus, I need to at least attempt to do what He did and said that we would do.”
Johnson referenced Matthew 10:8, where Jesus sends out the 12 Apostles and tells them: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
“Part of what He imparted to His disciples was this mandate to heal the sick, raise the dead, whatever it might be,” he explained. “It’s the miracle realm. The miracle realm is not the bonus, it’s not the controversial side issue. It’s the heart and nature of who Jesus was and what He displayed [on earth.] I may never do it well, I just don’t have the right to change my assignment.”
Johnson encouraged Christians to give Jesus the “occasion to show up and do the extravagant thing.”
“My responsibility is to carry truth and to take some form of risk to give God a chance to show up and do what only He can do,” the pastor said. “I still want to present the Gospel so that people come to Christ. So my responsibility is to carry truth and to take some form of risk to give God a chance to show up and do what only He can do.”
According to Johnson, two things hold Christians back from pursuing a lifestyle of allowing God to work extravagantly through them: “Bad teaching where we’re taught it ended some time ago,” and “disappointment.”
“I think it’s in our DNA as a believer, to see God do extravagant things through us,” he said. “It’s a part of just a normal desire, … we actually have to be taught out of that. And it’s normal for us to long to see God use us in a significant way. The mistake comes when we take it to ourselves that it’s because of our great faith or our great strength or courage, whatever it might be. That’s an error, but it’s also an error to go the other direction and to say, ‘Well, if God wants it to happen, He’ll just do it and I don’t need to pursue a life of risk.’ It’s just not the way it’s played out in Scripture.”
The California pastor also discussed his view of the presence of God, explaining that because “the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift we’ve been given,” the “Holy Spirit in my life has to be better than Jesus standing right next to me at my side.”
“So Jesus next to me at my side is less than the Holy Spirit in my life growing in me,” the pastor said. “We need to learn to host Him so He rests upon us continuously.”
The 12,000-member church is known for its focus on faith healing. Bethel currently hosts online healing rooms that are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Additionally, many of the 2,400 students at the church’s School of Supernatural Ministry approach and pray for people in hospitals and healthcare centers, though not without controversy.
Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Reporter